Claws of Heaven
by Rashka
Summary: Sequel to Wings of Change. Three years later, the Kaiba brothers are in New York. A cult is on the loose, Mokuba's a teenager. And what's this? Seto might have a real girlfriend? Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own anything from Yugioh or Marvel. –pouts-

Author's note: So the first chapter of the second story! Actually...this would be the -counts on fingers- twelfth first chapter of the second story. Still not sure if I like it but I wanted to post something so voila.

**Claws of Heaven**

**Part Two of the Dragon Song series**

"So…I'm having a big party this weekend…You interested?"

Twenty-two year old Seto Kaiba flicked his neatly trimmed hair out of his eyes and took a bite of his pasta.

"Tell me you're joking." He dabbed his mouth with a cloth napkin then let it drop on the mesh table as he studied the older, but no less striking, man across from him.

"Please, would I joke about a chance to meet beautiful women and kiss up to the press?"

The two made quite a pair, dressed in tailored suits, sitting outside one of Greenwich Village's better café's, just two friends having lunch on a beautiful, late summer day. If not for the way their eyes, intense and deep, flicked from one thing to the next, making notes, observing the smaller details, the casual passerby might take them for just another couple businessmen taking a break from work. Seto Kaiba knew better.

"I'm not going to another function where all I can do is flirt with women I don't want, glad-hand men I don't care to even be in the room with, and stare at that weird statue in the garden until you decide to make your grand entrance."

The older man just laughed.

"Come on, kid. It'll be fun."

"No, Tony."

Tony Stark, playboy and super-genius CEO of Stark Industries, threw up his hands and leaned back in his chair.

"You are impossible! You've been on edge since you got here. Look, just come for a little while. You can be my personal guest."

"I really don't like good in evening gowns."

"But the red brings out the gorgeous blue of your eyes."

"Yeah, and the white straight jacket looks divine against your black hair. Very bold, very daring."

"I do make an impression." Tony finished up his soup then pushed the bowl away. "Seriously though, you need to get out of that stuffy office and have some fun."

"I make games. Fun's not part of that."

"Just like a screen isn't part of a television."

"Now you're getting it." Seto grinned as Tony rolled his eyes and waved over the waitress.

"Fine," he said, after he had flirted with her and asked for their checks. "Be an old, crochety hermit. See if I care." He checked his watch. "I have a meeting in an hour then I'm going to Chicago."

"What's in Chicago? More toys?"

The waitress came back with their checks, they both paid with cash, and stood.

"Yup," Tony replied, "and a blonde that I would dearly love to get to know better. Call me if you change your mind, alright? You're a good-looking kid. You shouldn't be cooped up all day."

"But I have my hole just the way I like it, feathers and all."

"Need to fly sometime, Kaiba. See ya later."

"Right." Seto turned and walked the other way to his car parked in a nearby garage, briefcase safely in hand. He had met Tony Stark two years ago when a mutual business acquaintance had invited them to the same press conference. After five minutes, they learned of their shared distaste for said acquaintance and soon, the two men were exchanging technological ideas the likes of which would make George Lucas' head spin. Since then, they had kept in touch here and there, both enjoying the prospect of a higher level conversation beyond mere numbers. Seto found in Tony a kindred imagination, and even though Seto still put no stock in friends, he didn't mind having lunch with the man.

That didn't mean he'd go to a party with him.

Getting into his deep blue, 2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Roadster Convertible, Seto set his briefcase on the passenger seat and started the engine. The beast roared to life, the engine thrumming through his body, and he smirked. Simple pleasures.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he answered it as he pulled out of the parking garage.

"Hey, kid."

"Hey, bro!" Mokuba's voice had deepened the last few years, losing that tell-tale puberty squeak. "How ya doin? How's Tony?"

Still hyper though.

"Fine. What're you up to?"

"Not much. A couple friends invited me to go see a movie tonight. Some thriller or something. That okay?"

"Who and how—" Suddenly a sharp pain shot through his wrist. His phone slipped out of his hand. He swore, leaning down, then someone screamed and his car jolted.

He swore again, louder this time, and threw the car into park.

"Seto? Seto, are you okay?!"

Seto quickly grabbed his phone and opened the door.

"I'm fine, kid. Be back by eleven. Keep your phone on."

"Okay, if you're sure…"

"I have to go." Seto hung up, slipping the phone back into his pocket, and hurried to the front of his car where a blonde woman staggered to her feet.

"I'm sorry," he said, reaching out to steady her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." The woman swept her hair out of the way and smiled bashfully at him. "It's my fault. I should've been paying more attention. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Seto couldn't help but stare at her eyes, a clear, crystalline green he had never seen before. "Where's your car? I can give you a ride."

"Oh, I don't want to impose."

"Please. As an apology. I'm Kaiba."

"Eve," she said, shaking his hand. "Evelina, really, but everyone just calls me Eve. Nice car, by the way. What year?"

"08." He led her around to the passenger side, made sure she was seated, then walked around to his side. When he got in the car, he could smell her perfume, a vanilla of some kind.

"Which way?" he asked.

"Level two."

Seto nodded and drove off, fighting the urge to flex his still slightly stiff hand. Stupid muscle spasms or growing pains or whatever they were. Mokuba had been after him to go to a doctor for months but if this could happen sober, there was no way he'd work hyped up on vicodin.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I'm usually better at multi-tasking."

"Kaiba, it's okay," Eve said, smiling. Her voice had a subtle lilt to it that matched with the expensive white woolen pant suit she wore. "Oh, there I am."

"Beamer. Not bad."

"Well, it's not a Viper but it works." She picked up her purse and got out. "Thanks for the ride. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime. I'm an advertising agent for Chase."

He smiled politely and waited for her to leave before smacking the steering wheel. Stupid stupid stupid! Growling in exasperation, Seto drove out of the parking garage to the Kaiba Corp branch office building in Manhattan. Maybe if he drowned in his work he could forget how embarrassing that had been.

_Yeah, right_.

One hand reached up to rub the scars on his neck, the ones Melody had given him three years ago, and he sighed. Seems he was doomed to lose face in front of beautiful women.

Oh well. He smirked at his reflection in the mirror and tried to calm his heartbeat. He supposed there were worse things.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Hey! I actually had time to write! Lol, ah the joys of college. Anyway, same disclaimer, don't own anything recognizable. Enjoy!

Update: 5/18: Hey guys! Okay, so loooong overdue for a repost. I've had several people alert me to a couple proofreading problems and I finally had the chance to fix it. Thank you for letting me know! And so, I present a chapter where Mokuba's friends aren't having an identity crisis. Lol. ^^

Chapter 2

"Okay. I win, we see the new Freddy vs Jason. You win, we see the new Bond movie."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and wandered off as the two guys from the library duked out the movie choices. The cool New York wind ruffled his hair as he looked around at the crowds around the Rave Movie Theater. Teens, families, college students. A little girl of about eight tugged at her mommy's hand in the ticket line, urging her to hurry. A teenage couple hung all over each other, trying to decide what to see. He grinned and shook his head.

Just then, a flash of red caught his eye and he turned to see a young, attractive woman with bright red hair and a taller, equally attractive young, black woman, walk into the theater. He narrowed his eyes through the glass, following them.

"Theater twelve." He glanced at the board behind the ticket counter. "Bond movie, guys!"

"What?" Ted froze with his hand still in a fist from Rock, Paper, Scissors. "We still got one more round!"

"Yeah, but I wanna see things explode. Let's go. Buy the tickets."

"Oh fine. Spoil sport."

The other guy, Rodney, just grinned.

"You're just sore you were gonna lose."

"Oh shut up."

A few moments later, the three were on their way to theater twelve, large popcorns, drinks, and armfuls of candy in tow.

"Okay, where ya wanna sit?" Ted whispered.

"I don't care," Rodney muttered back. "Just somewhere away from the back. I don't feel like hearing _that_ all movie."

"Huh? Hearing what?" Mokuba raised an eyebrow at them. "On second thought, I don't want to know. Let's sit over there." He headed to the upper middle and sat down, a convenient two or three seats away from the young ladies. Rodney spotted them almost immediately and laughed.

"That's why you wanted to watch this?" he whispered, sitting down.

"Shut up," Mokuba said, elbowing him. "I'm experiencing American culture. Bond is an icon, right?"

"And that's totally why they're here. Face it, Moku, girls come to a Bond movie for one reason and it's not you."

"What is it then?"

"Fanservice. Same reason I come, actually."

"Be quiet, you guys," Ted whispered from Rodney's other side. "If I'm going to have to sit through this, I wanna actually hear the dumb actors."

Mokuba and Rodney threw popcorn at him.

"The movie hasn't even started yet," Rodney shot back. "A hot dog is singing. You need quiet when a hot dog is singing?"

"Okay, dude, you've seen waaay too many chick flicks. _You've Got Mail_ is, like, eighties."

Mokuba heard the girls giggling quietly and he smiled at them.

"They kidnapped me, I swear," he whispered. The redhead, the one sitting closest to him, pouted in mock sympathy.

"Aw, hate it when that happens."

"Dontcha though? Ruins your whole day."

"Makes you late for everything."

"I know! Had a pedicure and everything lined up for tonight too."

The woman giggled and turned bashfully to her friend, who playfully smacked her in the arm. He leaned a little closer just as the lights went down and the previews started.

"I'm Mokuba," he whispered.

"Katie," she whispered back.

"Nice to meet you."

"You, too."

All three of their friends shushed them and they turned back to the movie.

Two and a half hours later, the movie let out and the teens gratefully took the chance to stretch their legs.

"Dude, that movie was awesome!" Ted clenched his fists and started punching out an invisible bad guy. "The way he flipped the car and then he went bam bam bam—"

"Yeah but he killed the car," Rodney said sadly. "They always kill the car. It was so pretty. Right, Mokuba?"

Mokuba jumped when Rodney elbowed him in the side.

"What? Oh, yeah. Car was hot, sad it died. What happened to those girls?"

Ted laughed and punched Mokuba in the shoulder.

"You are so pathetic. Always trying to pick up some girl."

"T, when was the last time you had a date?"

"Three months ago. Why?"

Mokuba shared a glance with Rodney as they headed out of the theater.

"Yeah, on that incredibly sad note, I'm gonna go. See you guys later."

"See ya." Ted waved at him, already dancing down the street to the music in his head. Rodney just rolled his eyes.

"Later, Moku. It was fun."

"Yeah, we'll have to do it again sometime." Mokuba waved at them then turned to go the other way down the street, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

_Too bad. Katie seemed really nice_.

Gradually, the crowd started to thin as he made his way to his car a few blocks over. Joey always gave him a hard time about parking so far away but he would rather walk than fight traffic. And his brother would kill him if he messed up one of the cars.

"Get away from us, you creeps."

Mokuba paused mid-step and turned towards a nearby alley. Five figures stood just out the light of the streetlamps, two, no, three women, and two men.

"We don't want any trouble," one of the women on the right said. "Just give her back her Ipod and we'll go."

"Hmm…no." A man on the left threw down something and Mokuba heard what he supposed was the woman's Ipod crunch under his boot. He frowned. Well that wasn't necessary.

"Excuse me." He stepped a few feet into the alley. From here, he could see their faces more clearly and he blinked when he realized Katie and her friend were the two getting harassed. He smirked.

"Something I can help with?"

Katie laughed nervously.

"We're fine here, kid. Just finishing up here."

"Who's your friend, Lebeau?" The woman standing with the two men folded her arms. "Another one of your mutie freaks?"

_Mutie freaks?_ Mokuba's eyes widened and he looked at the three a little more closely. Underneath their denim jackets and pale blue headbands, they wore white t-shirts emblazoned with _FOH_.

_Friends of Humanity. Crap_. One of the most radical anti-mutant terrorist groups in history. _I thought they were all gone_.

"Come on, Katie. You two promised to have ice-cream with me, remember?"

"That's a wonderful idea," said Katie's friend. "Come along, Katherine."

"Yeah, okay." Katie linked arms with her friend and walked towards the street, not too fast, not too slow. Mokuba held out his hand for them, smiling as charming as he could. He glanced back, something black catching his eye.

"Move!" He shoved them onto the street.

"Mokuba, no!"

The energy blast hit him square in the chest. He cried out in pain, staggering, his head swimming.

"Mokuba! Mokuba, look at me!"

"Mokuba? Mokuba Kaiba?"

"Oh crap, you shot Mokuba Kaiba!"

"His brother's gonna kill us!"

Two of Katie's face slid in and out of his vision then, with one last desperate slap from the girl, he blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

No own, no sue. And the dream's a little graphic. Lemme know if I need to up the rating.

Chapter 3

_"Stop it! Leave me alone!"_

_Someone punched him. His jaw clacked into the pavement. Harsh, grating laughter hurt his ears. _

_"Stop it!" he snapped, jerking away from another man's foot. Snow crunched as he rolled to his feet. Someone hit him in the back. He staggered, trying to run. _

_"Stop…leave me…" He could taste blood, his tongue slurring as his mouth started to water. Another man threw a punch at his cheek. He jerked his head back, dodging, then locked his jaws around the man's arm. The man screamed. He bit harder._

_A fist came from his right. He swept his arm, ripping flesh as he turned to dig his nails into another man's face. Blood splashed into his face, hot and steaming in the winter air. He reared back, roaring, and, faster than the man could react, clamped onto his throat._

Seto lurched awake and bolted for the bathroom just in time to vomit in the sink. Again and again and again, until he could only dry heave, his body trembling as he struggled to hold himself up.

Finally he managed to reach over and turn on the water. He held his hands under it, just watching the cold liquid wash the remnants of his dinner down the sink as he tried to steady his breathing. That nightmare again. It was longer this time, more vivid. He had never reached the man's neck before.

He shuddered at the memory of the man's neck under his teeth. What kind of monster was he turning into? Gathering some water in his hands, he began to rinse his mouth out. His hands still shook but he didn't have the strength to stop them. Everything hurt. Everything always did, as if he really had been running and fighting and…

His phone rang. No one called him this late. No one except Mokuba. Coughing, Seto grabbed a towel on the way out and hurried to answer his cell.

"Hel—" He coughed again. "Hello?"

"Mr. Kaiba?" A woman's voice asked. The towel stilled.

"Yes."

"This is Sacred Heart Hospital, I—"

"What happened to Mokuba?"

"He seems to have been shot, sir. Two young ladies came in with him. They said—"

"Is he stable?"

"Yes, sir."

"What room?"

"Room 109, Emergency Room entrance."

"I'll be right there."

~~*~~

Within minutes, he was dressed, out the door, and on his way to the hospital. The press weren't there, thank God, and he swept into the Emergency Room, his long legs eating up the tile floor. A doctor met him at the desk.

"I'm Dr. Chapman," the older, shorter brunette said, holding out his hand. Seto shook his hand as they walked.

"Seto Kaiba. What happened to my brother?"

"He was shot in the chest with a high-caliber energy weapon."

"Range?"

"Five or six feet."

"Condition?"

"Stable. Second and first degree burns on his upper torso. We gave him morphine for the pain."

"Is he awake?"

"Just woke up."

They reached Mokuba's room, empty save for a nurse and two women. Seto ignored them as he checked his brother. The boy looked fairly normal, though his brow furrowed in pain even in sleep. Seto pursed his lips to keep from snapping at the doctor and looked at his now-bandaged chest. An IV in his right arm stretched back behind the bed to a bag the nurse was checking but his left arm clutched the blanket around his waist.

_I should never have let him go out_.

"He should be fully recovered in three weeks," Chapman said. Seto straightened up, finally looking at the women, and promptly had to catch himself on Mokuba's bed.

"Mr. Kaiba?" Chapman asked. He must have paled visibly. Mentally swearing, Seto swallowed.

"Give us a minute, please."

"Of course. Lisa." Chapman and the nurse walked out, shutting the door behind them, and Seto took a deep breath before looking back at the women. One woman, a red-head a few years older than Mokuba, looked anxious, her arms folded tightly to her chest. The other woman, a black woman either his age or a little older, stood straight and tall, staring at him as he was sure he was staring at them.

_Pack challenge_, his mind supplied. He mentally swore again.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Aliyah Monroe-Howlett," said the older one. _Liyah. Used to train with me_.

"Katherine Lebeau," said the other. _Katie. We always went shopping on Fridays_.

Seto shoved the annoying thoughts away. Now was not the time.

"What happened?"

"We went to see the James Bond movie," Howlett said, her dark eyes still intense and challenging. "We met Mokuba and his friends inside. Afterwards, we were walking back to our car when a member of the FOH stole Katie's IPOD."

"We were trying to get it back when the kid heard us," Lebeau continued. "He didn't start fighting or anything. He just reminded us of going out to ice-cream, we weren't really, and we were walking away when he…I guess he saw the gun and shoved me out of the way and…" She looked down at Mokuba, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

"FOH," Seto said carefully. "You're mutants, then."

"We're registered," Howlett shot back. "We are no threat and we would not have hurt the boy."

"I didn't say you did." His voice sounded calmer than he would have liked, as if he were trying to placate some dangerous beast.

_Maybe I am_.

Crap. It was starting again. He hadn't had to deal with her memories in months. And now he was talking for the first time to women he already knew.

_Melody, if I ever get my hands on you…_

Mokuba whimpered softly and his eyes fluttered open.

"Seto?" His voice was scratchy and weak.

"I'm here, kid. How are you feeling?"

"M'chest…hurts…"

"It will for a while. You got burned pretty badly. What did I tell you about playing the hero?"

"That…it was the job for…short little…dorks…with starfish…hair."

"Good boy. Rest now. I'm going to ask the doctor when I can take you home."

"…what about…the girls…"

"We're fine, hon," Katie said quickly. "Ya know, there are easier ways to impress a lady."

"Gotta be…original…"

Seto smiled at his brother and glanced at Howlett. The woman nodded and the two walked out into the hallway.

"Are we in danger?" he asked.

"No. The three ran off, terrified you would track them down and kill them."

"They aren't far off." Seto cast a protective look back at the door then turned to Howlett. "Ideally, we would go back to Japan, but he's in no condition to travel. You're sure we're safe."

"I would not have said so otherwise. All the same, I would like our doctor to examine the boy."

"You think Chapman missed something?"

"I think this hospital deals with so many people that they release patients before they're ready because they don't have room. Mokuba runs the risk of serious infection and our doctor has the time to better care for him."

"Your doctor."

"We are students at Seidou University in Westchester. Dr. Henry McCoy is our school's doctor."

Seto raised his eyebrows. Hank McCoy was one of, if not the expert in mutant physiology. His papers on human genetics had been used in graduate level classes for years.

"I will consider it. Right now, I have to make a few phone calls. Excuse me."

Howlett nodded and he headed out of the hospital.

"Kaiba!" He turned as he reached the sidewalk to see Evelina hurrying to him from the other parking lot.

"Hello, Evelina."

"Eve, please. What happened? Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Why are you here?"

"I was visiting my mom. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. My brother was in an accident."

"Oh my god, is he okay?"

He winced inwardly.

"He's fine. Excuse me; I have to call my security officer."

"Oh sure sure. Just…if you need anything or if you or your brother need a place to stay, I'm right down the street."

"Thank you, but I'm having him transferred to Seidou University."

Her lip curled slightly and she almost seemed to pull into herself.

"Oh. That place."

"They have the best facilities this side of the Mississippi."

"And you trust them with Mokuba?"

"Yes." And, oddly enough, he really did. Turning away, Seto dialed Roland's cell number. At his side, he could see Evelina…Eve…staring at the pavement.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice answered.

"Roland."

"Mr. Kaiba." His head of security instantly sounded more awake. "What's wrong?"

"I'll explain everything later. For now, Mokuba's going to Seidou University. He's staying with some friends. Call my secretary and let her know and if anyone asks, tell them it's part of our vacation."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you." He clicked his phone shot and put it in his pocket.

"I'm sorry," Eve said quietly. "I just…I had a bad experience with mutants. I didn't mean to sound so…well, anyway, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." _No, it wasn't_. "I would have done the same thing." _No, I wouldn't have_. But Eve smiled, her entire face brightening at his acceptance, and he caught himself smiling back.

"Well, I hope your brother gets better soon," she said. "Good night."

"Good night." He watched her head back to her car. "Eve?"

"Yes?"

"I should have Mokuba transferred by tomorrow morning. Would you like to meet me for coffee afterwards?"

"You still feel bad about hitting me with a car?"

"Yes."

She laughed, a light, musical sound, and nodded.

"I'd like that. See ya, tomorrow, Blue Eyes."

He froze, his throat catching, but she had already turned her back. _Blue Eyes_. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second then stalked back into the hospital, his scowl driving even the doctors into broom closets.

Howlett and Lebeau were standing outside Mokuba's room when he arrived and Lebeau's eyes widened slightly at his mood.

"Let's do this," he said.

Howlett nodded and walked off to call the university while Seto walked into Mokuba's room.

"Hey…" Mokuba muttered. Seto smiled happier than he felt and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, kid. As soon as the doctor releases you, I'm sending you home with Lebeau and Howlett."

"Huh?"

"They go to Seidou University. It's where Hank McCoy works. You've heard of him."

"Oh…yeah…" Mokuba yawned, wincing slightly when the bandages pulled, then closed his eyes. "I should…be okay there."

"Yeah." Seto glanced back at the door and sighed. "Yeah."


End file.
